The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners agreed to support Governor Kitzhaber's budget item that will bring about $4.5 million to keep forests healthy east of the Cascades.

Commissioner Alan Unger says officials from the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council spoke with them about the importance of getting the funding. "We learned that it's important for us to support those projects that will help support the mill in John Day; so we have an economy in Grant County. And also bring resources to the Deschutes collaborative group and the Ochocos collaborative group, to help move forward projects in the forests that bring logs to the mill and create a healthy forest."

Unger says the lions share of the money will go to Grant County because they have the most risk with the mills in danger of closing.